John Adli: Here it comes

Steamboat Springs  And you thought California wildfires moved fast. They are nothing compared to our elected real estate City Council.

On Tuesday, the tentative council agenda includes a resolution approving the pre-annexation agreement for Steamboat 700. Yes, our council has spent their 260 days in office paving the way for development and annexation and here it comes.

One week after getting rid of the city manager, having worked tirelessly to ensure the developers are not "slowed down" (Steamboat Pilot & Today, "Lanning's future up in the air," July 8, 2008) and here it comes. The moneymakers who needed this real estate council in place are about to cash in, big time.

This hearing will begin with an executive session at 4 p.m. that will discuss the annexation agreement. Yes, another secret session (isn't it 10 now?) in Ms. Hermacinski's public, "no secret sessions" open council. Then, later in the hearing, a resolution is scheduled for approval. Not an ordinance, which requires two readings in public hearing, two readings or more, that allow edits and public comment to be made until it is complete. No, a single reading resolution.

This council never has had an agenda discussion asking the citizens if they would like to vote on the agreement. They never have had a presentation of the completed pre-annexation agreement in a council work session. And here we are just a single reading resolution, item 4 on an agenda that will change the face of Steamboat Springs forever.

This council seems to have forgotten they actually are employed by us. They are not an independent group that gets to decide our future because they were elected. They still have to ask and respect our opinion. We need to give it to them.

Get down to this meeting Tuesday. And if it is rescheduled, as sometimes happens with controversial subjects, get down to that one. Keep up. Become an active participant in your own destiny. Be there.